MomsRising Applauds Governor Newsom for Prioritizing Families in His State Budget

Statement from Donna Norton, Executive Vice President, MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families nationwide – including more than 100,000 members in California – on Governor Newsom’s budget proposal:

“The budget Governor Gavin Newsom proposed today prioritizes the well-being of moms and children in ways that will strengthen families, communities, our state and its economy. This is exactly the kind of budget California needs.

“California families need access to high-quality, affordable early care and education opportunities that meet their needs, and this budget is a step in the right direction to work toward broadening access and opportunity in communities across the state. Making preschool education and childcare affordable is essential to families’ economic security and, ultimately, to helping keep California’s workforce vital and our state strong. We are especially pleased that the Governor is proposing to allocate $1.8 billion for early childhood programs, which addresses the critical need to lift and support low-income families in the state. The first 2,000 days of children’s lives build a foundation that helps them succeed in school and thrive throughout their lives. The investments in full-day kindergarten, subsidies for child care facilities, training for child care workers, home visiting for expectant parents and health screenings for young children that Gov. Newsom proposed will improve economic security for many families in California. We also look forward to working with the administration to continue increasing access to state-supported childcare programs for all families, starting with those that are furthest from opportunity, and strengthening a sustainable mixed delivery system for years to come.

“Critically important, too, is providing families with more adequate paid leave. MomsRising is grateful for the Governor’s bold leadership on paid leave and we cheer his commitment to providing paid parental leave for six months. This would boost California families and, we hope and expect, help spur enactment of the national paid family and medical leave policy the country so urgently needs.

“MomsRising and our more than 100,000 California members will work tirelessly to convince legislators to adopt Gov. Newsom’s budget – and to extend the investments in California’s children and families beyond this year. Our children’s lives and our state’s future depend on it."

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.